


Moving to Oxford

by Salllzy



Series: Supernatural squad [1]
Category: Lewis (TV)
Genre: M/M, Supernatural - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-04 14:27:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5337461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salllzy/pseuds/Salllzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He moved to Oxford to get away from his parents and his new found fame, what he didn't expect to find was love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer-Do not own Lewis and no money is made off this story. 
> 
> Authors note- This is Slash, don’t like then don’t read. This is a supernatural AU, in other words alternative universe. One shot for now, might add more to it later. Line breaks show a change in the point of veiw.

Oxford was an interesting place to say the least, it was nothing like up North where he came from. He felt like a stranger in his own country, still Balthazar Gabriel was not going to be put off. After weeks of saving up and finding somewhere he could stay he had finally found a small three bedroom house with a garden, it wasn’t that he didn’t have the money. He did, Balthazar's father worked on the oil rigs and would spend most of his time out at sea. His mother was in MI5, not that he really cared about either of them. They hadn’t been around when he was growing up, his grandparents had raised him while his mother was off doing some sort of top secret mission. It was why he had turned to books and gardening while growing up, he learned that he could lose him self in the pages of a fantasy novel and not worry about anything. When he was in his garden he felt a sense of peace that he couldn’t really get from books and it wasn’t from lack of trying, eventually his grandparents died and his parents tried to insert themselves into his life.

 

Needless to say it didn’t work out very well and he quickly found his own place, however he still had the issue of money and decided that he would try his hand at writing. The first couple of books didn’t sell very well but it was enough for him to live off, his grandparents hadn’t been well off and he rather enjoyed growing his own food to eat. It saved on the shopping bills as well, it wasn’t until he started a series called the supernatural squad did his books really begin to fly off the shelves. With this he found that bigger pay checks came in and people would walk up to him in the street, it was part of the reason why he was moving to Oxford he hoped that by moving to Oxford no one would recognise him.

 

Balthazar never wanted to see another cardboard box, not only was it disappointing that his entire life fitted into four cardboard boxes. He also needed to buy furniture, which had resulted in more cardboard boxes. In the end he had given up and decided that he needed a really good drink, not only would it help him to unwind it would also allow him to meet some new people. Well that was if his social skills didn’t let him down again, still it was better than sitting in his new home wondering what he would do about the next book. Grabbing his leather jacket and his boots he quickly got dressed and made his way to the closest pub, hoping that something would happen.

* * *

 

James Hathaway was tired, beyond tired. He had just spent the past three days working on a case and they still had no leads, James hoped that by going somewhere else and trying to relax might help him think of something that they might have missed. The more time they spent trying to find something, anything pointing to the killer the more likely the killer was to get away. But that didn’t change the fact that both he and Lewis were stressed and snapping at each other, this case was taking a lot out of all of them. James hoped that a good pint and sitting in the beer garden and getting some peace and quiet would clear his head, that was what James had planned but when he got there he found that someone was in the spot that he normally sat in.

 

James counted backwards from ten, even though his name wasn’t on the table everyone who came here knew that he sat at the table. While he couldn’t just go over and demand that the person move, he could however go over and sit on the table. All of the other tables were full as it was a rare sunny day, and it would be the perfect excuse to find out just who the mystery person was. It may have been the policeman in him or it may have been the fact that he had been burned too many times, Zoe, Scarlett, his mother and father. They were just a few on the very long list, a list that seemed to be growing longer as the years went on.

 

Lewis had been saying that he needed to find someone, and if James was being honest he knew that he needed someone to keep him grounded and show him that there is still light. He had a crush on his boss Innocent at one point, then one on Robbie. But each and every time nothing came of it, maybe he was over thinking everything. But right now he needed a good pint, and possibly a good conversation. He knew that he could get one of those, he wasn’t so sure about the other one. James walked over to the table pint in hand, he felt like he was running on fumes. In a way he was, little sleep and food meant that he was running on pure will alone.

 

As he neared the table he found that the mystery person was a male, and was scribbling on something as if their life depended on it. James found himself wondering what it was the other man did, when he was near the table he cleared his throat.

 

“Do you mind if I sit with you, as you can see all of the other table are occupied.”

 

Lilac eyes snapped up, shock and confusion were written all over a very handsome face. But what had shocked James most of all was the colour of his eyes, after all he had seen a lot of eye colours but never one like that before.

 

“Ah, err. Sure, not like it's my table or anything.”

 

James felt his lips twitch up of their own accord, he thought he was socially awkward it seemed as if he had nothing on his companion. He sat down and felt the sun begin to warm him up, after being in the office for so long he was glad to be out of it. When not chasing down suspects and questioning witness, being here b himself was different, normally he would come here with Robbie. It was something different but he was glad, if he had spent another minute he would have snapped at the man. Not that he hadn’t done so already, he brought the cold pint to his lips and took a long drink from it, before he tried to start a conversation with his companion.

* * *

 

Balthazar had found the pub by accident, he had been wandering around for hours before he had finally found somewhere to sit down and have a drink. While he was glad that he had gotten to see some of the sights, the crowd had been terrible and he had nearly had a panic attack. Something that he got when too many people where near him, but he had moved to Oxford to get lost in the crowd. So his parents couldn’t find him and hopefully have some sort of normal life, so this was the price he was willing to pay.

 

He had stumbled into the pub and managed to order a pint before he made his way to the beer garden, his hands shaking as he tried not to bump into anyone. What had once been a full pint was three quarters by the time he had got to a table, his nerves were fried and he needed to calm down. He began taking deep breaths and holding them for a few seconds before he let them go, it had been taught to him by his grandfather after his first panic attack.

 

He had only been in the pub's beer garden for a hour when he decided that he would try and do some work on the next part of supernatural squad, while he was no where near his deadline he had yet to make a start on it. Balthazar knew that if he wanted to eat then he would need to put pen to paper soon and get something done, it wouldn’t do if he couldn’t pay the bills. He had nearly jumped when he heard someone speak to him, when he looked up he found himself swallowing.

 

The man that was stood in-front of him was tall, Balthazar knew that he wasn’t short but the man made him look small and that was saying something. Blonde hair, normally Balthazar wouldn’t find blonde hair attractive on any person. But for some reason he found that it suited the man in-front of him. But what really caught his attention was the dark circles under his eyes, dark circles that suggested that a good nights sleep would be the best course of action for him.

 

“Ah, err. Sure, not like it's my table or anything.”

 

Did he really have to stutter? There was an Adonis like man in-front of him and he had to go an stutter! Balthazar wanted to groan, could he be any more of a fool? He looked back at the paper that he had been working on and scowled, he had barely managed to finish the prologue and the first chapter and he had been sitting at the table for hours, or what felt like hours to him.

 

“Have you been in Oxford long?”

 

Balthazar jumped at the deep voice, it reminded him of a cello or a base. Deep soothing and something that you could get lost in very easily, he put the lid on his pen and knew that he had to make some form of small talk.

 

“Just moved here, haven’t really seen much.”

 

The man hummed before taking another long gulp of his drink, Balthazar hoped that it was the end of the conversation. But for some reason he had the feeling that it wouldn’t be the end, that he had some how opened a can of worms.

 

“Well then, welcome to Oxford. Since you have not seen much perhaps you would like a tour?”

 

He knew that he should refuse, that he shouldn’t trust the man in-front of him. He tensed when the man reached into his jacket pocket.

 

“Normally I only show this when there is a crime.”

 

A leather wallet was passed to him and Balthazar looked into the wallet, so the person sitting next to him was a policeman. Which was slightly reassuring, but it also proved that looks could easily be deceiving as he thought that the man was a teacher of some sort, he looked down at the name James Hathaway. Balthazar knew that he didn’t have a leg to stand on when it came to his name.

 

“James Hathaway, I take it that you have lived here all of your life then.”

 

James raised an eyebrow at him, clearly he was missing something.

 

“Normally when someone introduces themselves, the other person tell them their name.”

 

For some reason the posh drawl grated on him, Balthazar didn’t know why. After all James had been sitting with him for almost a hour and he had yet to be irritated by the other man, but for some reason he felt like he was back at home being mocked. As he went to stand up and leave he felt a hand grab hold of him, he looked down at the long thin fingers and wondered why the other man had tried to stop him.

* * *

 

James wasn’t sure why he had offered the man a tour, a man whose name he didn’t know. Then he had some how managed to offend the other man and he had no idea how he had done so, when the other had went to stand up he knew that if he let the other man walk away he wouldn’t see him again. Something that didn’t sit right with him for some reason, so he had tried to stop the other man from leaving earning him a glare for his efforts.

 

“It seems that I have offended you in some way.”

 

James knew that reading people was not easy, but there were always small signs that gave them away. He knew that what many Detective Inspectors learned they learned from years of walking around talking to people, and handling crimes such as shoplifting and pickpocketing. Things that he hadn’t done as he went to being Lewis's bag-man straight away, but he liked to think that he had enough experience to tell when someone was lying to him. Lilac eyes looked at him and James felt that he was being judged for something, it unnerved him.

 

“It's fine, not like you meant to. Statement hit a little too close to home, that’s all.”

 

James watched as he sat back down and wondered just what it was that had caused him to get so riled up, but at least he was sitting back down so James counted it as a win which was better than nothing. James wished that he knew the other man's name, as he couldn’t keep calling him the other man. Not only did James find that it was rude he wanted to know what his name was.

 

“Gabriel.”

 

James watched as the man shifted and quickly came to the conclusion that it was either a middle name or last name, which made him wonder did he really hate his given name so much? If so then why did he hate it? James put each question to the back of his mind and made a mental note to ask about them later, and by later he meant when the two of them knew each other better. Still it was a start and that was what counted.

* * *

 

It had been a few weeks since Balthazar had met James, and while he was happy that there was a break in-between each of their meetings he could tell that there was something weighing the other man down. They may not of had the best start but he had come to care for James and would burn the world for him, he didn’t have many friends and those that were his friends now lived in another part of the country. Balthazar was happily sat on what had now been named as 'their' table, it was where he and James would meet. He looked up and saw that James was walking over to him, his shoulders slouched as if he had the weight of the world on him.

 

He didn’t even have time to say anything when he found himself being kissed senseless, at first he was too stunned to really do anything then his brain caught up and he began kissing James back. When the two of them pulled apart they were both panting heavily. It looked like there was no way back for the two of them and Balthazar knew that neither he nor James wanted to go backwards but forwards together.


	2. chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But for the moment he was quite happy to sit with his partner and enjoy a nice cup of coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer-Do not own Lewis and no money is made off this story. 
> 
> Authors note- This is Slash, don’t like then don’t read. This is a supernatural AU, in other words alternative universe. 
> 
> This chapter is purely James's point of view.

James found it strange that whenever he met with Gabriel it was never around the time of the full moon, normally they would meet a couple of days either before of after. But never on the night of a full moon. At first he had shrugged it off, after all it wasn’t like he had the best working hours himself. But after the seventh time he began to see a pattern, he knew that Gabriel worked on books and owned his own house. Something that had him wondering just how much money Gabriel really had, after all not many people could own their own homes in Oxford not with the prices. He had even entertained the thought of going to Gabriel's on the night of a full moon but thought better of it, if the other man wanted to tell him then he would do so in his own time. Which he thought that he was being fair on, although their relationship wasn’t perfect James was glad that he had someone, someone who he could call his own. After pining over his boss, then Lewis he had been on the verge of giving up hope.

 

He was glad that he had chosen to sit with Gabriel that day, he was happy. James knew that he had never really been happy before, he had been content yes, but never happy. But James knew that there was something going on, not only had Gabriel got a new book out. Something that he was very pleased about as one of the characters was inspired by him, it also meant that Gabriel was getting income once again. What the books were about he didn’t know, but he knew that there was something about the books.

 

So Gabriel had a few secrets, James wasn't too bothered about it as he had a few of his own. Secrets that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell anyone, it had been bad enough growing up with them. But as he got older he knew that there was something different about himself, James knew that he couldn’t ask his parents, or care givers for another less pleasant term. His own mother couldn’t look at him and eventually walked out on him, his father was a drunk the last he had heard. James sighed and looked at his phone, so far no calls or texts from Gabriel. Which wasn’t that strange as they could go for days without messaging each other, then meet up and act like they had never been apart. He still had introduced Lewis and Gabriel yet, and if he was being honest with himself he wasn’t sure if he wanted the two of them too meet.

 

When he awoke the next day James found that he had fallen asleep on the couch, and groan as he stood up. His back was in agony, it was no wonder he stopped sleeping on the couch, that and his legs didn’t fit on it. James quickly got changed, the last thing he wanted was to go into work wearing the same clothes that he was wearing the day before. It was bad enough that the other members of station had spread rumours about him, the last thing he needed was to give them more ammunition. When James finally got to work he was glad that there was no cases, it gave him chance to catch up on the paperwork that had been growing for several days. James would swear that the paperwork had been breeding overnight, but after everything that had been happening he was shocked that there wasn’t more paperwork to do.

 

By the time lunch came around James had cramp in his hand and he would kill whoever created paperwork, not only had it taken him all morning to do three reports but he was starting to get withdrawal. He badly needed a smoke and a good strong cup of coffee, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to get a good cup of coffee at the station. The coffee that they served was more like brown water than anything else, when he managed to stand up his back protested the movement and his legs had pins and needles in them. James wanted to groan, it looked like today was not his day, but then again were any days his?

 

He didn’t even bother to look at Lewis's desk as he knew that he was out having lunch with Dr. Hobson, he wondered why the two of them hadn’t got together yet, he wondered if he was the only one that had seen the good doctor making love eyes at Lewis. He also wondered if he wasn’t the only one then why was no one making jokes about it, but James knew that for some reason it was just him that they all seemed to have a go at.

 

As he turned a corner he felt someone hit him, just as he was about to snap at the person he looked up into Lilac eyes. He felt his lips twitch into a smile, when Gabriel held his hand out to him James took it without much thought.

 

“We need to stop meeting like this.”

 

James watched as his partners lips twitched, he had never seen Gabriel really smile and he found himself cherishing each and every smile that Gabriel gave him. James didn’t know when he started turning into such a romantic sap, but for Gabriel he would do anything to keep the other man smiling.

 

“Indeed, no coffee this time.”

 

James rolled his eyes and began walking Gabriel easily keeping up with his fast pace, James noticed that Gabriel was looking at him for some reason. After a few minutes of walking in silence Gabriel broke it.

 

“You look like shit James, what did you do? Sleep in a cupboard?”

 

James ignored the jab, he was used to Gabriel being acidic and sarcastic, he could also be very snappish when he hadn’t got enough sleep. Just as he was about to light up a cigarette Gabriel pulled him into a small coffee shop, before he even had a chance to protest anything he found a steaming cup of coffee being shoved into his hands.

 

“Drink it, or I will make you wear it.”

 

James rolled his eyes, he brought the cup to his lips and looked at Gabriel. He thought that he had slept badly, Gabriel looked as if he hadn’t had a good nights sleep in a week or two. It was bad enough that he didn’t sleep properly, the last thing he wanted was for Gabriel not to look after himself.

 

“When was the last time you slept?”

 

Gabriel snorted and took a long gulp of the still steaming cup.

 

“Four days ago, there is a lot of pressure on me to get this next book out. So I haven’t been sleeping or eating trying to get it done, they are arseholes the lot of them.”

 

James found himself agreeing not that he would tell Gabriel that, he knew that there was a lot of pressure on writers and people of similar professions but he had never realised how bad it was until now. But for the moment he was quite happy to sit with his partner and enjoy a nice cup of coffee.


End file.
